Rumble in the jungle: Local soldiers compete among Colombia's best (GALLERY)

Army Master Sgt. Marc Castleberry with the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)'s 2nd Battalion crosses a gorge using ropes during the Best Lancero competition in Tolemaida, Colombia, last month. The competition has been held for 13 years, but this was the first time Americans were invited to participate.

Spc. Fernando Lozano / U.S. Army

By LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News

Published: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 05:50 PM.

Out of place in the hot humidity of the Colombian jungle, two American soldiers braved one of the world’s toughest competitions: the Colombian military’s Best Lancero contest.

Master Sgt. Marc Castleberry and Sgt. 1st Class Jon Michael Hooten, both with the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), were the first Americans ever invited.

They competed last month alongside 13 two-person Colombian teams, the “cream of the crop” of the Colombian military, Hooten said.

Over four humid days, with highs in the mid-90s, the pair crossed rope bridges over 200-foot gorges, rappelled off towers, engaged in close-quarter combat, tested their marksmanship and completed strenuous obstacle courses.

“It was nonstop physical fitness under extreme heat,” Hooten said. They had been selected to compete with little notice and had little time to acclimate, and the heat proved a formidable foe.

Once, they had to march 15 miles on roads winding through the mountains in combat gear. Half the teams had to drop out.

“That killed a lot of guys out there but was one of our strongest events,” said Castleberry, a 42-year-old who has made running 50-mile races his hobby.

They finished sixth place overall.

“There were times when your mind is telling you one thing and your body is telling you a different thing. You just have to keep pushing, pushing pushing, and not listen to your body,” Hooten said.

The pair were selected because they are certified Lanceros. Years ago, they completed the Colombian military’s Lancero training course, considered the toughest in the world, Castleberry said.

They hadn’t met each other before.

“It’s personally an honor to be given the chance to do it,” said Hooten, who is 30. “Until the day you die, that’s something you can look back on and say, ‘I did that.’ ”

Americans’ presence a landmark at Colombian competition

While being the first Americans invited to compete alongside some of the Colombian military’s best was a great privilege for the soldiers, it was also a reflection of more than two decades of U.S. presence in the region.

The invitation is a testament to the growing relationship between the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Colombian government, which have been working hand-in-hand for over two decades, said Maj. Kevin Bowman, Castleberry’s company commander.

Participating helped show Colombians that Americans are willing to take on a physical and mental challenge alongside them, he said.

“These are guys we work with down there and it got our faces out there,” said Castleberry. “It was good for them to see Americans participate in something Colombian-dominant. It showed we notice them, that we really care and want to make this situation work.”

Hooten said he hopes competing becomes a tradition but that future teams will have more time to prepare than they did.

Out of place in the hot humidity of the Colombian jungle, two American soldiers braved one of the world’s toughest competitions: the Colombian military’s Best Lancero contest.

Master Sgt. Marc Castleberry and Sgt. 1st Class Jon Michael Hooten, both with the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), were the first Americans ever invited.

They competed last month alongside 13 two-person Colombian teams, the “cream of the crop” of the Colombian military, Hooten said.

Over four humid days, with highs in the mid-90s, the pair crossed rope bridges over 200-foot gorges, rappelled off towers, engaged in close-quarter combat, tested their marksmanship and completed strenuous obstacle courses.

“It was nonstop physical fitness under extreme heat,” Hooten said. They had been selected to compete with little notice and had little time to acclimate, and the heat proved a formidable foe.

Once, they had to march 15 miles on roads winding through the mountains in combat gear. Half the teams had to drop out.

“That killed a lot of guys out there but was one of our strongest events,” said Castleberry, a 42-year-old who has made running 50-mile races his hobby.

They finished sixth place overall.

“There were times when your mind is telling you one thing and your body is telling you a different thing. You just have to keep pushing, pushing pushing, and not listen to your body,” Hooten said.

The pair were selected because they are certified Lanceros. Years ago, they completed the Colombian military’s Lancero training course, considered the toughest in the world, Castleberry said.

They hadn’t met each other before.

“It’s personally an honor to be given the chance to do it,” said Hooten, who is 30. “Until the day you die, that’s something you can look back on and say, ‘I did that.’ ”

Americans’ presence a landmark at Colombian competition

While being the first Americans invited to compete alongside some of the Colombian military’s best was a great privilege for the soldiers, it was also a reflection of more than two decades of U.S. presence in the region.

The invitation is a testament to the growing relationship between the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Colombian government, which have been working hand-in-hand for over two decades, said Maj. Kevin Bowman, Castleberry’s company commander.

Participating helped show Colombians that Americans are willing to take on a physical and mental challenge alongside them, he said.

“These are guys we work with down there and it got our faces out there,” said Castleberry. “It was good for them to see Americans participate in something Colombian-dominant. It showed we notice them, that we really care and want to make this situation work.”

Hooten said he hopes competing becomes a tradition but that future teams will have more time to prepare than they did.